Linda McMahon on Principles & Values

WWE was provocative, but provided 700 jobs & work ethic

In pointing out his own business experience, Westby criticized McMahon's WWE ties. He said he's helped create "real jobs, not men bulked up on steroids, not women prancing around in bikinis"--an allusion to WWE's history of sexually provocative skits and
past pattern of steroid abuse.

McMahon defended WWE, the company she launched with her husband, Vince. "WWE has almost 700 jobs today,'' she said. "I'm very proud of earning my money the old-fashioned way, [through] hard work, a great work ethic.''

OpEd: Spent $50M of her own money on 2010 Senate race

Shays questioned McMahon's conservative credentials in light of her big spending, $50 million, during the 2010 race she lost to Richard Blumenthal. McMahon strongly asserted how her 2010 campaign spending "was my money" and chided
Shays for voting for earmarks like the notorious Alaska bridge project. "Congressman Shays, $50 million pales in comparison to the 'bridge to nowhere' that you voted on as a congressman for $200 million."

Blumenthal insults millions of WWE viewers by dismissing WWE

Instead of putting an end to all the talk about steroids and the WWE, this debate re-energized the issue. Blumenthal brought up dead wrestlers, "the death clause," and steroids, slamming McMahon repeatedly on the history of her company. McMahon repeated
her theme that this election is about jobs and that Blumenthal knows nothing about how to create them.

It didn't work. This will be remembered as another fight over WWE and McMahon's defense of her company's questionable behavior. "I have fought to
protect children from abuse and neglect,'' Blumenthal said. "My opponent has marketed sex and violence to children. There have been seven dead wrestlers since she started this campaign.''

To this, McMahon replied that the "consequence of death is a ver
sad thing... those consequences were not the result of ring performance."

McMahon concluded, "You can always change the channel. It's insulting to the millions of people who watch WWE each week to suggest that it is less than quality entertainment."